I Think I Like You
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: Ash is home from his travels in Unova. While home, he reunites with some old friends and must face questions about himself, his future, and his true feelings towards a certain red headed gym leader. Pokeshipping with slight Wishfulshipping and others.
1. Home Is Where the Girl Is

**Hey guys, what's up? That's right, I have a new story here for you! It's a little different than what I usually write, though. I mean, it's still Pokeshipping, and it's still fluff, but, get this...Ash and Misty AREN'T married! In fact, they aren't even together. Well...not yet, at least ;)**

**This story isn't going to be overly long (I'm saving the next novel length one for the poll on my profile, where "yes" is currently winning by alot) but it'll be satisfying. I hope :P**

**The first chapter here is really short, but that's just to help introduce the story. The other chapters will definitely be longer. Like...ALOT longer. So, get ready to (hopefully) enjoy this new story!**

**And, to get this out of the way, I do not in any way, shape, or form own Pokemon. **

**AGES:**

**Ash, Misty, and Iris: 16**

**Cilan: 19**

* * *

"Guys, we're here! Pallet Town!"

Iris and Cilan looked over their friend's shoulders, neither one saying anything as their eyes surveyed the town in front of them.

"It's so…quiet…" Iris commented. "And small!"

"True, I don't think I've ever seen such a quaint place!" Cilan nodded. "Even Nuvema Town is bigger than this."

"Pallet is really small, but it's really nice!" Ash piped up. "I'm used to it. I'm sure you guys will love it!"

"It will be nice to get away from all of those busy cities," Iris agreed. "Not to mention that I'm so excited to meet your Mom!"

"Huh? Why?" Ash furrowed his brow. His mother was very nice, and he loved her very much, so Ash wasn't slighting the woman. He was just curious as to why that seemed to be a highlight of the trip for the aspiring dragon master.

"Because she sounded so nice over the phone," Iris giggled. "Besides, I _have _to know how she puts up with having such a kid for a son!"

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Ash shot back.

"That's _your _opinion," Iris huffed.

"Alright you two," Cilan laughed nervously. "Let's settle down, now."

"Come on, I'll take you guys to my house!" Ash grinned, quickly returning to his chipper self. "I bet my Mom is gonna be really excited to see me. And you guys too!"

Ash picked up the pace, Iris and Cilan following quickly behind in an effort to keep pace with the young trainer.

"Pikachu, aren't you excited to be home for a little while?" Ash turned towards the little yellow mouse riding on his shoulder.

"Ka!"Pikachu squeaked, nodding his head in conferment.

"Well, we're almost there," Ash smiled, the modest white house coming into view as his sneaker covered feet pounded against the dirt road. Running up to the house, Ash reached for the handle of the red door, but his hand was quickly pushed away when the door opened on its own.

"Wah, a phantom door?" Ash blurted.

"A _phantom door?_" Iris' jaw dropped as she stopped several feet behind Ash. "Wow, you really _are_ a kid!"

"Oh, Iris," Cilan once again chuckled uneasily.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu suddenly squealed, jumping right off of Ash's shoulder and into the arms of the person who had opened the door so rapidly.

"Oh, Pikachu! Hi there! I missed you too!"

Ash held onto his slightly stinging hand and looked up into the doorway. The sight caused his eyes to widen, and his heart to practically stop.

From behind, he could hear both Iris and Cilan gasp quietly as they too looked over the figure. Although, to them, she was unfamiliar.

"Wow, Ash, your Mom is _so _young!" Iris gasped.

"What?" Ash whipped around, his eyes absolutely frantic. "She's _not_ my Mom!"

"Oh, then how come you never told me you had a sister?" Iris back pedaled to try and cover her first mistake. Unfortunately, she didn't know she was covering it with _another _mistake.

"She's not my sister!" Ash groaned. "We're not even related!"

"I guess you two don't really look alike," Iris agreed. "I don't know why I thought that! It's just kind of odd that there's a random girl in your house, though."

"She's not a random girl," Ash grumbled. Turning back around, he stared the familiar young woman in the eyes and quietly answered, "She's Misty."


	2. Catching Up

**Wow, so you guys really liked the first chapter, huh? That's pretty awesome, considering how short it was. You're all awesome! So, here you go, the second (and much longer!) chapter! Again, nothing too substantial happens here. Just alot of catching up (hence the chapter title, heh) and some cute, hidden fluff moments. I think you'll enjoy it, though. Hopefully :P**

**Character Ages:**

**Ash: 16**

**Misty: 16**

**Iris: 16**

**Cilan: 19**

**Delia: 35**

* * *

Ash just kept staring at his long time friend, his expression unreadable. His eyes were shimmering, his lips set in a straight line and quivering ever so slightly. He was overjoyed, really, but he couldn't seem to express those feelings at all.

Misty, meanwhile, was doing the exact same thing, although she was able to bend her delicate lips into a smile.

"Hi, Ash," she greeted softly.

"H…hi…" Ash stammered.

Rolling her eyes, Iris pushed past Ash and held her hand out towards the foreign red head. "Hey there! My name's Iris! It's nice to meet you!"

"Oh, hi…" Misty's smile diminished slightly, although Iris didn't take any notice of that small change. "You must be Ash's travelling companion! Am I right?"

"Mmmhm," Iris nodded eagerly. "Me and Cilan!"

"Cilan?" Misty inquired.

"That would be me," Cilan stepped forward and bowed, which caused Misty to giggle sweetly. That simple little sound was enough to lead Ash to blush slightly. "Just as Iris said, my name is Cilan! I'm a Pokémon connoisseur!"

"A Pokémon connoisseur?" Misty repeated. "I've never heard of that before!"

"Yes, they're mostly native to Unova, although I would love to see the profession spread throughout other regions as well," Cilan nodded, clearly excited to be discussing his vocation.

"That's amazing!" Misty gushed. "I'd love to know more about what you do!"

"Not a problem!" Cilan beamed. "The job of a connoisseur, you see, is to-"

"Okay, why don't we take this conversation inside?" Ash interrupted his green haired friend, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Ash, that's so rude," Misty narrowed her eyes. "Cilan was answering my question, and you just totally cut him off!"

"I said you could keep talking about it _inside_," Ash corrected. "I didn't tell him to not discuss it."

"Such a kid," Iris grumbled. Misty heard her, however, and an itchy little smile appeared on the red head's face.

"Isn't he, though?" Misty asked Iris. "It's like babysitting with that one."

"Hey!" Ash cried.

"Oh, all over the entire region of Unova!" Iris gasped. "I swear, we could've replaced him with a five year old and not have known any better!"

"I know exactly how you feel," Misty sighed. "Before, when you called me Ash's mother, I realized I might as well be with the way he acts around me! I'm always ending up having to look out for him and practically take care of him."

"Okay, inside!" Ash's face was completely red now as he ushered everyone into his decently sized home. Closing the door behind him, Ash leaned against it and let out a quiet whine, which Misty responded to with a gentle laugh. "What's so funny?" Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, don't get so worked up, Ash," Misty winked at him. "We're just teasing you."

"I'm not laughing," Ash rolled his eyes.

"Right, because you have no sense of humor," Misty shrugged. Pikachu was still residing in the teenage girl's arms, cuddling up against her body and purring gently.

Standing up straight, Ash breathed out and took his hat off to shake out his long, dark hair. "Where's my Mom, Mist?"

That nickname caused Misty to blush. Gasping when she realized this small issue, Misty raised Pikachu to her face and rubbed her warm cheek against Pikachu's fur. "She had to go out and get a few things. I was visiting, so I told her I would watch over the house while she was gone. I didn't realize you'd be home so early."

"You knew I was coming home?" Ash asked quietly.

"Your Mom told me," Misty lowered Pikachu, but continued to scratch behind the little thing's ears. "We were having a really nice talk before she left, and it just came up."

"Just came up, huh?" Ash raised an eyebrow before smirking mischievously.

"Oh, what's that look for?" Misty deadpanned.

"Are you sure you weren't asking about me?" Ash ribbed.

"Of course not," Misty huffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw a look of hurt flash across Ash's face, but she chose to ignore it. "It's only natural that, when talking to someone's mother, she will bring her child up. Her _only_ child. Don't be foolish, Ash."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Ash muttered.

Misty began to feel guilty, but she wasn't about to admit that to Ash. No way. That was basically admitting defeat. And she wasn't about to do that.

"Why don't we go sit in the living room?" Misty suggested. "We can't do much of anything until your Mom comes back."

"Okay," Ash smiled once again, although it wasn't his usual wide, lopsided grin. And that pang of guilt ended up hitting Misty again.

He and Misty walked into the living room, where Iris and Cilan had already settled themselves onto one of the couches. Ash and Misty took the couch across from them, and right away Iris began to ask Misty questions that had been building inside the purple haired girl's head since she first laid eyes on the red head.

"So, Misty, do you live in Pallet Town too?" Iris grinned.

"Oh, no. I live in Cerulean City. It isn't too far from Pallet, but it's definitely a much different environment."

"Well, you must be pretty close with Ash to be in his house all by yourself," Iris blinked.

"His mother invites me over all the time," Misty giggled. "I guess you could call us friends! I'll come over and help her out with some chores and things like that, or we'll just sit and talk. She's really a mother figure to me! Plus, it's always nice to come here and take a break from training and battling."

"I see, so you're a trainer just like Ash?" Cilan chimed in.

"Not quite," Misty smiled slyly. "I have a bit more talent than Ash."

"What?" Ash whipped his head around to glare at Misty. "I won the Unova League! What do you call that?"

Ignoring her raven haired friend, Misty looked back over at Cilan and continued, "I'm a gym leader."

Iris and Cilan both gasped, which threw Misty off a little bit.

"You're a gym leader?" Iris was giving Misty a wide eyed stare.

"Yes, I'm the leader of the Cerulean City gym!" Misty giggled at the surprise of the two teenagers sitting before her. "I specialize in water types."

"That's incredible!" Iris shrieked in amazement before glaring at Ash. "How come you never told us about how awesome Misty was?"

"You didn't even know _who_ Misty was before she answered the door!" Ash complained.

"You know, Misty, it just so happens that I'm also a gym leader!" Cilan proudly puffed his chest out.

"Wow, really?" Misty grinned. She loved meeting other gym leaders and talking about daily gym affairs with them. It made her feel as though she belonged to some special, secret kind of club.

"Indeed! I run the gym in Striaton City along with my brothers! You would like my brother Cress. He's quite fond of water types."

"Water types are the best Pokémon out there!" Misty chirped. "They're so strong and beautiful…I've only ever raised water types! Well, except for my sweet little Togepi…I mean, Togetic."

"I see, so you must be a very powerful gym leader!" Cilan grinned.

"I guess you could say that," Misty blushed as she looked away sheepishly. "The head of the Kanto gyms organization is always complimenting me on how well I'm doing and how the gym is kept. But sometimes I wonder if he's only doing it because I'm the second youngest gym leader in the region."

"The second youngest?" Cilan suddenly looked even more impressed.

"Of course, I'm only 16 years old, and just barely. The only gym leader who's younger than I am is 14."

"Wow, they really hire some young kids to be gym leaders in Kanto," Iris sweat dropped.

"You and I are in good company then," Cilan leaned in towards Misty. "My brothers and I just so happen to be the youngest gym leaders in Unova!"

"Really?" Misty's eyes brightened. "How old are you? And how old are your brothers? Your brothers must be a bit younger than you, then. It's not like you're a little kid or anything!"

"Oh, we're all the same age; 19," Cilan answered. "We're triplets!"

That revelation took Misty by surprise. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have two siblings who were the exact same age as you; having been born at the same time and raised all together like that. Having three sisters who were _older _was bad enough. "Are you guys close?"

"Very," Cilan confirmed with a nod. "I don't know what I would do without the guidance of my brothers!"

"That must be nice," Misty sighed rather dreamily.

"What do you mean?" Cilan asked curiously.

"Well, I have three older sisters, and I can't really say the same about them," Misty shrugged her shoulders. "I can hardly trust them to run the gym while I'm gone. They'll try to battle for a little bit, but they really weren't meant to be Pokémon trainers, let alone gym leaders. They'll lose a couple of times, get bored, and begin to just give out gym badges. That's why I can't be away from the gym for long periods of time. I assume your brothers are capable gym leaders when you're not around?"

"Yes, of course," Cilan blinked. "They don't always win, and sometimes they get discouraged, but they never just give away badges."

"It's only my sisters. Leave it up to them to be so stupid about something so important."

"Are they a bunch of little kids too?" Iris inquired with a smirk.

Laughing once again, Misty replied, "Oh yes. Ash is a _dream_ compared to them!"

"Mistyyy," Ash whined, rolling his eyes back.

"I'm still only teasing," Misty gave Ash a gentle shove on the shoulder. "So, Iris, are you a trainer too?"

"Yeah, I train dragon types. In Unova, I come from a place known as the Village of Dragons. We pride ourselves on raising strong, well battling dragon types! One day, I hope to be a dragon master!"

"Just like me!" Misty grinned. "Well, except, I want to be a water master."

"You and I would make such a good team!" Iris trilled.

"I definitely think so!" Misty agreed happily. Pikachu jumped out of her arms, and Misty watched curiously as Pikachu jumped up in between Iris and Cilan and poked at the girl's violet hair with his little black nose.

"Pika…" Pikachu beckoned.

"Ax?" A small green dragon popped out of Iris' hair, causing Misty to shriek and jump slightly. She lost her balance on the couch and fell over onto Ash's lap, which instantly set her and the dark haired trainer into blushing fits.

Iris and Cilan quickly took notice of Ash and Misty's embarrassment, but otherwise said nothing. They just watched the two teenagers trying not to stare at one another, while not at all moving from their compromising position. After awhile, it got awkward for everyone involved, however, and Cilan decided to try and extricate the younger two from any further embarrassment.

"Misty, do you need some help?" Cilan offered kindly.

"Huh?" Misty sounded as though she had just been taken out of a trance. "Oh, no! No, I'm just fine, Cilan. Thank you." She clumsily pulled herself off of Ash's lap and sat back up, straightening herself out and trying to get rid of the redness that was covering her fair cheeks. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about a thing."

"Alrighty then," Cilan chuckled.

"So…Iris, what kind of Pokémon is that?" Misty quickly tried to change the subject. "You know, the one that just…came out of your…hair."

"This is my partner, Axew," Iris giggled. "Sorry that kind of freaked you out. Axew likes to take naps in my hair. It's comfortable for him there!"

"He's such a cutie!" Misty giggled.

"Ax! Axew!" Axew giggled, clearly happy to have been complimented like that.

At that moment, the front door to the house opened again, and an older woman stepped into the house. Her face was covered by two brown paper bags, however, both of which were stuffed with various food items and other goods. Behind her was a Mr. Mime, carrying three bags of his own. Without even seeing her face, Ash knew exactly who this was, and though he tried to fight it, he just couldn't. A huge smile broke out on his face as he jumped up and quietly approached her.

"Hi Mom! Need help with those?"

"Ash?" Delia instantly dropped both bags. Everyone in the room gasped, including Ash, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he managed to bend down and grab onto both of them, stopping any of the glass jars inside the bag from breaking, or any of the food to become damaged.

"That was a close one," Ash sighed, standing back up to his full height with both bags in his arms.

"Ash, dear, I wasn't expecting to see you home this early!" Delia was holding a hand over her wildly beating heart, staring at Ash with wide eyes as if she still couldn't believe that he was standing right in front of her.

"We made fast time," Ash grinned. "Are you not happy about it?"

"Oh, of course I'm happy, sweetheart!" Delia wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and rubbed her cheek against the top of his head. "I've missed you so much!"

"Mom…this is really nice…but can we not do it in front of my friends?" Ash could feel his face getting hotter than it had than with anything else that had occurred today. And that _included _Misty falling over on his lap.

"Yes, I'm sorry, dear!" Delia giggled as she let go of her son. "Sometimes I forget that my little baby is all grown up and doesn't want to give his Mommy any affection in front of his friends."

Misty choked back a laugh and covered her mouth with her hand. Iris turned her head away and tried not to burst out laughing, while Cilan just sweat dropped and smirked anxiously.

"Yeah…thanks Mom…" Ash sighed, walking swiftly into the kitchen to avoid his snickering friends and to rid himself of the grocery bags.

"Thank you for taking care of the house while I was out, Misty," Delia gratefully addressed the younger girl. "I really shouldn't leave you with such responsibilities."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty waved a haphazard hand. "It was no problem, really!"

"And you two must be Iris and Cilan!" Delia turned her attention onto the newcomers. "My apologies, I don't know where my manners are today! I'm Ash's mother. It's lovely to finally meet the two of you!"

"And you as well, Mrs. Ketchum," Cilan stood up and hurried over to the brunette in order to grab hold of her hands and bow to her. Delia blushed slightly and giggled behind her hand.

"Well, you certainly are quite the gentleman, Cilan!" Delia complimented the connoisseur.

"Thank you for letting us stay here for a little while, Mrs. Ketchum!" Iris suddenly popped up next to Cilan. "It's really gracious of you!"

"Oh, it's not a problem!" Delia grinned. "Ash's friends are welcome here anytime."

"If you need any help cooking, I'll be glad to assist you!" Cilan offered as he stood straight up. "I'd like to think that I'm a pretty competent chef."

"It's true, Mom!" Ash came bounding back into the living room. "Cilan and his brothers run a restaurant in Unova that doubles as a gym! It's awesome!"

"A professional chef, how impressive!" Delia trilled. "I would be honored if you helped me out, Cilan!"

The connoisseur followed Delia into the kitchen, leaving Iris, Ash, and Misty to their lonesome. The three chatted for a little while longer until dinner was ready, at which point the three younger trainers filed into the kitchen and took seats at the dinner table.

"So, Cilan, tell me," Delia looked towards the mint haired young man. "I've never quite heard of a Pokémon connoisseur before! What does that entail?"

"Yeah, I want to know too!" Misty chimed in. "I asked before, and Cilan _was_ going to give me an answer, but Ash very rudely cut him off."

"I did not!" Ash refuted.

"Ash Ketchum, I thought that I raised you better than that!" Delia scolded. "You should never interrupt someone while they're talking!"

"But Mom, I didn't!" Ash exasperatedly complained.

"Either way, you should know that's wrong," Delia wagged a finger at her only son, who leaned back in his chair as a sign of defeat. "I'm sorry about that, Cilan. So, tell me, what do you do?"

"Well, I evaluate the compatibility between trainer and Pokémon," Cilan explained. "Through those assessments, I can give advice on how to further strengthen that bond, which in turn helps the partners in both battling and life."

"That's amazing!" Misty gushed. "You're incredible, Cilan!"

At this, Ash growled lowly, although no one could hear him. For that, Ash was grateful. He didn't quite know where that reaction had come from. It was sudden and unexplained. Ash just wanted to know why Misty was so quick to compliment anyone who wasn't him. Would it kill her to give him some praise?

"I agree," Delia smiled. "A wonderful chef with wonderful Pokémon talent!"

Iris didn't say anything on the subject. She just sat there with a content smile on her face, feeling proud of Cilan for his many talents.

"Ash, you never told me what happens once you win the Unova League," Misty finally turned her attention onto Ash after eating and talking to Iris and Cilan for awhile.

"Because I never told you I won the Unova League," Ash smirked. "My Mom told you."

"Well, I still want to know," Misty giggled airily.

Ash smiled. He loved the sound of Misty's laughter. It reminded him of when they traveled together, all over Kanto and Johto, and how much fun they had. He much preferred to see Misty happy and cheerful than anything else.

_Why am I getting so emotional and weird? _Ash shook the thoughts out of his head. _I'm not a girl!_

"Well," Ash found his voice again, "once you win the Unova League, you move onto the Champion League, where you face the Elite Four, and eventually, the champion of the region."

"Did you beat the champion?" Misty's eyes were shining at the prospect.

"No," Ash looked down, feeling ashamed of admitting this fact to Misty. "I made it all the way up to Grimsley, the third member of the Elite Four. It was a close battle, but in the end, his Bisharp was too much for Emboar."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ash," Misty frowned. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Mist!" Ash's head shot back up, a wide grin overtaking his face. That relieved Misty almost instantly. "I'm not brought down by this at all! That's the farthest I've ever gotten before! That was the first time I've made it to the Champion League, and I don't intend on giving up now!"

"Typical Ash," Misty smiled at her long time friend.

"So what do you plan on doing now, dear?" Delia asked her son.

"I haven't given it a lot of thought, to be honest," Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I figured I would stay home for a little bit and think about it. I know that I'll be doing something, but of what I'm not sure."

"Well, there's no rush," Delia assured her child. "I'm quite happy to have you home with me, Ashy."

"Mom," Ash whined, his cheeks turning red again as everyone at the table laughed innocently.

Once dinner was finished up, Ash and Cilan went to work with Delia on washing the dishes, while Misty and Iris were left back in the living room to have some more conversation. By the end of the night, they were practically the best of friends. This made Ash both happy and somewhat concerned. Happy because he liked it when all of his friends got along, and concerned because he knew that Misty and Iris would gladly team up to gang up on him at any time.

"I'm tired from such a long day of travel," Iris yawned behind her hand.

"I agree," Cilan nodded, earning a wide grin from the dragon trainer. "I think it's about time that Iris and I turned in for the night. What do you say, Ash and Misty?"

"That sounds good to me," Ash stretched his arms out. "I'm kind of tired myself."

"I think I'm going to head back home now," Misty smiled delicately at the three other trainers, earning confused glances from all of them. "I just shouldn't leave my sisters in charge of things for so long. They can't be trusted."

"Mist, you must be crazy," Ash narrowed his eyes. "It's nearly 10 o'clock!"

"I know, but if I start now, I could reach home by sunrise," Misty calmly reasoned with the aspiring Pokémon master.

Delia heard this conversation from the kitchen and briskly marched into the living room, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Misty, you're not going anywhere tonight! You know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything ever happened to you!"

_Mom always talks about Misty like she's her daughter, _Ash rolled his eyes. _I wonder why that is?_

"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty smiled kindly. "But I have my Pokémon with me just in case something was to happen. Nothing will, though."

"No, you're not going to talk me out of this one," Delia continued in a very motherly tone. "You are going to stay here tonight, and tomorrow, Ash will take you back to Cerulean City."

"Huh?" Ash looked up at his mother with weary eyes.

"Mrs. Ketchum, it's okay, really," Misty rubbed her upper arm. "I can go out and walk home on my own. You don't have to force Ash into doing it."

"She's not forcing me," Ash replied a little too quickly. Misty turned towards Ash and gave him a surprised look. "I mean…yeah. I'll walk you home, if you want. No big deal."

"If…if you really want to," Misty looked over her shoulder so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with Ash. That would just make things awkward for the both of them.

"I agree with my Mom, though," Ash continued after clearing his throat. "You shouldn't be out so late at night. Just stay here. It's one night. It won't hurt you!"

"Well…" Misty thought it over carefully.

"Oh Misty, don't be silly, you're staying here!" Delia interrupted the young gym leader's thoughts. "Ash, why don't you go ready the guest bedroom for her?"

"Mom, do I have to?" Ash groaned. "I'm tired."

"I'll help you, Ash," Misty offered. "I'm not tired like the rest of you guys, since I didn't spend the whole day on an airplane."

"Thanks Misty," Ash grinned at her and got to his feet. Misty returned the action and jumped up herself, following her best friend upstairs and smiling at his back the entire time.

* * *

**I feel like Iris and Misty would be such good friends. They could both tease Ash together ^^ Did you catch any of the Wishfulshipping hints? Of course, this isn't a Wishfulshipping story, but I just love that pairing too! If you don't watch Black and White, you simply have to. It's sooo much better than Diamond and Pearl, in my own opinon. I love Iris and Cilan. They're going to play a big role in the story!**

**Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Remember to review and tell me what you think! Now, I have to continue reading my awful book for AP Lit...Ernest Hemingway, so boring. Why can't we read fanfictions for english? :P**


	3. Dense and Unimpressed

**Oh, is it Wednesday already? I'm losing track of time XD Well, since I'll be insanely busy tomorrow with my dance classes coming off of spring break, here's the next chapter for you guys! You all seem to be really enjoying the story so far, which is awesome! I didn't think it would get the kind of reception it's getting right now, so thanks! You guys rule! This chapter is the longest as of now, so that should keep you guys occupied until I have time for the next one!**

**Character's Ages:**

**Ash: 16**

**Misty: 16**

**Iris: 16**

**Cilan: 19**

**Delia: 35**

* * *

Misty watched carefully as Ash stripped the old sheets off of the bed, stopping every now and then to close his tired eyes and lean his hands against the mattress.

"I could've done this, you know," Misty wisely cracked as Ash opened one eye to look at her. "And I also could've slept on those sheets."

"They've been on this bed forever," Ash smirked, going back to work. "It's about time they were changed, anyway."

"But you're tired," Misty reasoned with the dark haired trainer. Not like it would make much of a difference now. The sheets were already half off and there was no turning back. "I feel bad."

"You? Feel bad for me?" Ash snickered. "Good one, Mist."

"Hey, I'm perfectly capable of feeling bad for you!" Misty narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, like when you yell at me and call me all those names?" Ash looked back up at Misty with his signature, lopsided grin.

"I do that out of caring friendship," Misty answered quickly.

"Yes, because hitting people over the head with a wooden hammer is a sure fire sign of friendship," Ash grunted as he shook the feather pillow out of its soft pillowcase.

"Don't disparage my mallet," Misty playfully chastised Ash. "Or else you just might have to deal with him later."

"I'll shut up then," Ash laughed. Holding his hands out, he called, "okay, give me the new sheets."

"I can put them on myself," Misty held the soft folds of material a little closer to her body. "You're tired, Ash."

"I know I am," Ash sighed. "But you're a guest here. I'm not gonna have you make your own bed."

"Can I at least help?" Misty frowned.

Ash glanced up at the gym leader and smirked once again. "You're persistent, aren't you, Mist?"

"Yeah, because you're dumb and trying to be all chivalrous," Misty tried to sound angry when she said it, but she couldn't help throwing in a delicate laugh at the end. "Come on, let me help."

Sighing playfully, Ash rolled his neck and drawled, "oh, alright. If you insist. Get over here and help me."

Misty grinned and strode over to the bed, tossing the folded pillow case to Ash. He raised a curious eyebrow and held up the smallest rectangle of material before once again gazing at Misty, who was busy unfolding the larger pieces of material.

"Misty?" Ash tiredly prodded.

"What?" Misty replied innocently, not bothering to take her eyes off of the ivory material in her hands.

"You only gave me the pillowcase."

"I know."

"I thought we were going to _help _each other to make the bed."

"You are helping," Misty smiled as she looked up at Ash. "You're going to put the pillow in the pillowcase."

"What am I? A little kid? I know how to put sheets on a bed, Misty."

"Well, according to Iris, you are in fact a little kid," Misty winked at the dark haired trainer.

"She always calls me that," Ash rolled his eyes. "Sometimes it gets on my nerves."

"I'm pretty fond of Iris," Misty grinned, stretching the bottom cover over the mattress. "I mean, at first, I wasn't so sure. I was kind of jealous of-"She cut herself off instantly, trying not to turn red over what she had just said.

"Jealous of what?" Ash tried to get the rest out of her, not understanding where Misty had been going with that.

"Nothing," Misty shook her head. "Grab the other side of the cover, won't you?"

Ash nodded and took the other side into his hands. "But, Misty, jealous of what?"

"What I meant was…I was jealous of her hair," Misty replied lamely, hating herself for how stupid that sounded. "It's so long and silky…it's really pretty. I've been considering growing my hair out, you know."

Ash raised an eyebrow. He wondered why Misty was telling him about what she wanted to do with her hair. He just liked it when she wore it down, and that's all he knew. For now, her bright red hair was tied up into a ponytail. It was still on the side, but her hair had grown much longer since Ash had last seen her, so it no longer stuck up. Instead, it now hung down elegantly; just brushing up against her shoulder, the fair skin of which was displayed thanks to the yellow tank top Misty was wearing. On her other shoulder, a red ribbon was tied around the strap of the tank, which Ash found to be unusually girly for the water type specialist. He liked it, though. It was a nice change for her. The girl's long legs were highlighted by a pair of diminutive red denim shorts, and on her feet, she wore light blue sneakers with red rubber fronts and shoelaces.

"Ash?" Misty's delicate voice broke him out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Ash shook his head, his long, dark hair swaying as he did so.

"I get it, you don't want to hear me talk about my hair," Misty giggled, spreading out the top sheet over the bedspread. "Such a boy."

"If you want to talk about your hair, I'll listen," Ash tilted his head.

Misty snickered and shook her head. "Oh, Ash. You're so funny."

"How am I funny?" Ash took the other side of the sheets.

"You just are. You're…sweet. And very sincere."

"And that makes me funny?"

"It certainly makes you fun."

Ash smiled at Misty, although she couldn't see it because her head was down. They quickly finished with the top sheets, and then the comforter. The two grinned as they studied their finished work, but Misty soon gasped and looked up at Ash as though she was appalled.

"What?" Ash's face fell. "What did we do wrong? I think the bed looks good!"

"Ash…" Misty quietly breathed.

"What?" Ash was starting to get nervous.

"You forgot to…put the pillow in the pillowcase!" Misty yelped, causing Ash to sigh heavily and cover his wildly beating heart with his hand.

"Mist, you scared me! I thought I seriously screwed something up!"

"You're so easy," Misty giggled, wiping away a tear that had fallen out of her eye from laughing too hard.

"Mist," Ash whined, although he couldn't stop the smile that was etching its way onto his face.

"Here, I'll do it for you," Misty grabbed the pillow and the unfolded pillowcase. "As a "sorry for teasing you" gift. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful," Ash smirked playfully as he sat down on the bed. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Yes, I don't know how you survive on all of these journeys when I'm not there," Misty was glad Ash's back was facing her so he couldn't see her powerful blush. _I'm doing a bit too much of this tonight…stupid face._

"I get by," Ash laid down, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit the soft mattress. "Just barely. But I get by."

"You'd better not fall asleep on _my _bed," Misty threw the newly outfitted pillow back on the bed as she folded her arms.

"Mist…I'm so tired…" Ash breathed quietly.

"Your own bedroom is right down the hallway," Misty narrowed her eyes. "Pikachu is waiting for you in there. So, come on, get out."

"Misty…" Ash's head turned to the side, and his breathing slowed down even further.

"Ash?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

Everything was quiet now. Growling, she bent over and shook Ash by the shoulders. Ash responded by snoring quietly, his mouth opening slightly as he let out the offending noise.

"Really?" Misty groaned, rolling her eyes back. Looking back down at Ash, she muttered, "You're going to make me sleep in _your _room?"

Ash snored again.

"Fine," Misty snatched up the pillow she had just stuffed into the pillowcase and chucked it at Ash's stomach. It rolled off listlessly as his chest rose and fell with his gentle breaths. Sighing, Misty turned around to leave the room, muttering under her breath, "good night, Ash."

She closed the door to the guest bedroom and made her way to Ash's own bedroom, where she would make her living quarters for the night. Stepping into the light green room, Misty sighed and sat down on the bed.

_At least the walls are my favorite color, _Misty thought with a smile. Not feeling overly tired, Misty got back up and began to look around Ash's room. She knew to respect other people's privacy, and to not open up his drawers or anything that was closed. Misty had absolutely no desire to know what a _teenage boy _could possibly be hiding in his bedroom.

She surveyed the items atop Ash's light oak dresser: a focus band, a collection of soothe bells, a wooden Teddiursa statue, a trophy won through some competition that Misty wasn't familiar with…it was all very, well how could she put it?

It was all very _Ash._

On his walls were some framed certificates, also from various Pokémon competitions. There was even a diploma which, once Misty learned after reading it, was from the Pokémon Summer Academy in Sinnoh. She remembered Ash telling her all about it in a letter once, and mentioning meeting a girl named Angie. Misty had been jealous immediately, of course, and decided right away that she didn't like the girl. They had never met, and they didn't have to.

Stepping away from the diploma, Misty realized of course that she was being dumb. Just the stereotypical, annoying teenage girl. Yes, she liked Ash. She liked him in that special, more than just friends kind of way. But that didn't mean he felt the same way. It was a cruel fact, but that's just what it was: a fact. Misty had to learn to accept that there would be other girls around Ash, and that just because they were girls, didn't mean that they automatically fell in love with Ash.

But how couldn't they? He was so sweet and kind, and so charming, whether he knew it or not. He was a very talented Pokémon trainer, who knew just how to treat and raise Pokémon. On top of it all, Ash was incredibly handsome, and he became more so every time Misty saw him. He had started off as a cute little boy, but now he was a very good looking young man.

Sighing, Misty walked over to her light blue backpack, which she had left on one of the steps of the ladder that led up to Ash's bed. She opened it up and pulled out her pajamas: a mint green camisole matched with a pair of yellow and blue plaid shorts.

Changing quickly, Misty ascended the steps and settled herself into Ash's bed, pulling the covers over herself and nestling her head right underneath the pillow on the mattress. Raising the sheets to her face, Misty buried her nose into them and took in the scent of the soft material. Amazingly enough, they smelt exactly like Ash.

That was incredible, to Misty. Ash hadn't slept in this bed for an entire year, yet it still held his warm, familiar scent. Misty loved it; the aroma was woodsy and mature, yet held a hint of something sweet, like chocolate. She only wished she could smell this all the time.

Breathing out in a content fashion, Misty hugged the sheets more tightly and drifted off into a deep sleep, all while taking in Ash's comforting, lingering scent.

**XXX**

The next morning, Misty awoke to the sound of Pidgey chirping and sunlight pouring through the windows of Ash's bedroom.

_Ash's bedroom, _Misty thought laughingly to herself as she rose. It was strange to think that she had just spent the entire night sleeping in her best friend's bed. Oddly enough, it was the most restful night of sleep she'd had in awhile.

Climbing down the ladder, Misty decided that she wouldn't get changed back into her day clothes until after breakfast. She was too hungry, and besides, her pajamas were super comfortable. Smiling to herself, Misty opened the door of the Ash's bedroom and slipped out into the hallway, heading down the stairs and straight into the kitchen.

What the water type specialist found was that Ash, Iris, and Cilan were already awake, and that all three were sitting at the table, still clad in their own sleepwear.

"Well well, look who decided to join us!" Cilan laughed warmly.

Misty smiled at the Pokémon connoisseur. "How strange. I'm not usually the last one to breakfast."

"You'd better take a seat, then," Iris advised the red head. "Otherwise Ash is going to eat all of your food."

"Am not!" Ash refuted, although it was rather hard to understand him considering his mouth was stuffed with breakfast.

"Ash, must you talk with your mouth full?" Delia chastised her son from her spot at the counter.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Misty giggled, taking the vacant chair next to Ash. Glancing over at the trainer, Misty smirked and rested her head on her hand. She watched Ash eat until he realized she was staring at him, at which point he swallowed his mouthful of food and turned his own head towards her.

"What?" He asked rather innocently.

"How did you enjoy sleeping in _my_ bed?" Misty raised an eyebrow, smirking at Ash all the while.

"It was nice," Ash chuckled before playfully firing back, "how did you enjoy sleeping in mine?"

"It was actually really comfortable," Misty laughed. "I was surprised."

"What, you thought my bed wasn't going to be any comfortable?" Ash huffed.

"I never said that," Misty smirked. "I just never thought that I would ever be sleeping in your bed. That's not something that I think about, Ash."

Iris shifted her dark brown eyes between the long time friends. She found their relationship to be…unique. It was tense and occasionally awkward for the bystanders such as Cilan and herself, yet at the same time, it was friendly and teasing. She could tell that they were close…but just how close _were _they?

"So, Mist, are you ready for our trek back to Cerulean City?" Ash smirked.

"You really don't have to come with me, Ash," Misty sighed.

"But my Mom wants me to," Ash frowned.

"Oh, Ash, you're not a little baby," Misty rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a Mama's boy. You're a grown up…sort of. You should be able to stand up for yourself, no?"

"And what if I don't wanna?" Ash crossed his arms and turned his head away like an immature kid.

"Then I'm wasting my time," Misty rolled her eyes, standing up to place her plate in the sink.

Becoming alarmed, Ash whipped around in his chair and stared down Misty with watchful brown eyes, as though he were a father watching after his troublesome young child. "Where are you going?"

"To get dressed," Misty replied without turning to look at the boy. "You don't expect me to go home in my _pajamas, _now do you?"

"No…" Ash trailed off.

"Then shush."

Ash furrowed his brow as Misty turned off the faucet and marched towards the stairs, her just past the shoulder hair swaying rather violently as she strode up the steps.

"Ash?" Cilan's curious voice finally brought Ash's attention back to the breakfast table. "How exactly does the relationship between you and Misty work?"

"It's like you read my mind!" Iris gasped, beaming at the connoisseur. "I was _just _thinking the same exact thing!"

"What do you mean our relationship?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"You are friends, aren't you?" Cilan pressed.

"Of course we are!" Ash's cheeks reddened out of anger at this question. How could anyone think that he and Misty _weren't _friends? "What makes you think that we're not?"

"Well, you two always seem to be on the verge of a blow up," Cilan frowned.

"I agree," Iris nodded. "Misty is a really cool girl, but you two both seem so hot headed when you're together!"

"That's just how we work," Ash shrugged. "You guys don't get it. It's always been this way."

Sighing, Cilan smiled sadly at the younger boy and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't mean to encroach on this subject. It certainly wasn't my intention to rile you up!"

"Huh?" Ash blinked before slowly figuring out what Cilan meant. He often wished that the mint haired boy would use easier words, and not try to be so elaborate all the time. "Oh, it's fine! You didn't make me mad at all, Cilan!"

"So, Ash, since you know that you and Misty are friends…" Iris smirked.

"Yeah?" Ash prompted after she trailed off.

"Do you ever think about her…a little differently than just that?" Iris giggled, reaching for an apple that was sitting in a bowl of fruit in the center of the table.

"Different than just a friend?" Ash blinked.

Iris simply nodded, unable to speak with her mouth full of apple.

"Yeah, sometimes I think about how she's such a great gym leader!" Ash grinned. "It makes me proud of her, when I think of that. She's so powerful and really talented!"

Iris scowled as she swallowed her bite of fruit. "Oh, Ash, I don't mean it like that!"

"You don't?"

"No!"

"Then…how _did_ you mean it?"

"Do you ever think that, maybe…just _maybe…_you…_like _like her?"

"Like like?" Ash looked even more confused than when Cilan had first started proposing his questions about the stability of his and Misty's friendship.

"You're not going to tell me you don't know what that means?" Iris planted her hands firmly on her hips. "You were never teased by other little kids growing up?"

"Just Gary," Ash shrugged. "But he never said anything about _like liking_ girls…"

"Iris," Cilan whispered into the dragon trainer's ear, causing her to look up at her older traveling companion. "I don't think you're going to get through to Ash on this one. Don't you remember when we helped to solve that Cottonee's love problem?"

Iris twisted her mouth and thought back to whatever Cilan could be talking about.

"You don't remember?" Cilan pressed.

"Refresh my memory?" Iris sheepishly requested.

Chuckling so sweetly that it made Iris subconsciously blush, Cilan recanted, "when we stumbled upon the Cottonee during their mating season, and there was that one stray Cottonee who kept trying to impress the female that he was so enamored with?"

"Oh, now I remember!" Iris giggled. "And we helped him to get stronger so that he could impress her and they would fall in love!"

"Precisely!" Cilan nodded, before his lips bent into a frown. "But, if you'll recall, Ash had absolutely no clue as to why the Cottonee was trying to make such an impression on the female. He just thought they were trying to build up a friendship."

"He's such a kid!" Iris whined, taking another ravenous bite out of apple. "There's no hope for him," she mumbled with a full mouth.

"Iris, don't speak with your mouth full," Cilan laughed nervously as the skin over his cheekbones flashed pink.

Just then, Misty re-emerged from upstairs, dressed back in the same outfit she'd been wearing the day before. Once again, her hair was tied up, and this time, her light blue backpack was slung over her right shoulder.

"You're leaving already?" Ash sounded almost hurt.

"I'm sure we'll have time to see each other at least once more before you leave on your next journey," Misty smiled sadly. "But if not…that's okay."

"No, I promise we'll see each other again!" Ash jumped out of his chair, leading Cilan and Iris to stare disbelievingly from behind him. It seemed almost like Ash was about to run up to Misty and beg her not to leave. Of course, everyone knew nothing like that would ever happen. "I promise, Mist."

"Just promise me you won't force yourself," Misty tried to smile as she shook her head.

"I would never force myself to see you," Ash breathed. "Really."

Misty nodded now and continued to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" Ash called as she grabbed a hold of the door knob. Misty's head shot up and she stared at Ash. Iris and Cilan leaned in close to one another, blushing furiously and separating a few inches after realizing just _how_ close they actually were. Was this it? Was Ash actually going to do something sweet and romantic?

"What is it, Ash?" Misty asked curiously.

"Are you _sure _you don't want me to walk back to Cerulean with you?" Ash inquired softly.

Iris and Cilan held their breath. What would Misty say? This could change everything about the two! Well, even though Iris and Cilan had only known Misty for a day, they still assumed that it would be a life altering experience.

"No, I'm fine," Misty laughed just once. "I don't want to force you to come with me."

_Beg her you little kid, beg her! _Iris screamed in her head.

"Okay," Ash replied meekly, causing both Cilan and Iris to fall back in their chairs in disappointment. "If this is what you really want."

_No, it isn't, _Misty thought sadly before once again smiling up at Ash. "I'm sure. Thank you for the offer, Ash. And tell your mother thank you for all of her hospitality over the last 24 hours. I really appreciate it."

All Ash could do was nod and watch as Misty slipped out the door and began to head back towards Cerulean. Alone.

"Ash, you idiot!" Iris yelled, jumping out of her seat and banging her fists against the table.

"Huh?" Ash whipped around, looking frantic. "What did I do?"

"You…you just…" Iris sighed and shook her head, covering her eyes with a hand. "Oh, never mind."

And with that, she stormed away from the table and out into the backyard, slamming the door behind her. Ash shot Cilan a bewildered look, to which the Unovian gym leader chuckled and slowly stood up himself.

"I'll go talk to her," Cilan offered.

"Good idea," Ash agreed. "You always seem to be the only one who can break through to her, after all."

Nodding, Cilan went out the same direction that Iris had; out of the back door and onto the porch. He found the darker skinned girl sitting right at the edge, her legs dangling over as she stared out angrily into space.

"Hey," Cilan greeted softly from behind.

Iris looked over her shoulder, her deep brown eyes piercing. Once she processed Cilan's frightened look thanks to her penetrating glare, Iris sighed and softened her glance before returning her head back to its original position. "What is it, Cilan?"

"You certainly are frustrated with Ash, aren't you?" Cilan questioned.

"Of course I am. He's a stupid little kid."

Smiling, Cilan took a seat next to Iris, accidentally placing his hand atop her own. She looked up at him with nervous eyes, and feeling quite embarrassed, Cilan quickly removed his own hand and began to rub it irresolutely.

"Why this time?" Cilan cleared his throat, trying to move on from the inadvertently awkward moment.

"Don't you see it?" Iris sighed. "He and Misty obviously like each other. _A lot._" When Cilan said nothing, Iris glared at him and seethed, "do you think I'm crazy?"

"No, not at all," Cilan answered quickly and calmly. "I see it as well. It's got the sweet and refreshing aroma of a new beginning. Young love, if you will."

"But Ash is too dense to see it," Iris rested her head in her hand.

"Well, do you think Misty does?" Cilan queried.

"I do," Iris nodded without a moment's hesitation. "I can tell by the way she looks at him! It's been driving me crazy, Cilan, knowing that those two have such deep feelings about one another and don't do anything about it."

"Maybe they don't want to see it," Cilan quietly suggested.

"That's dumb," Iris narrowed her eyes. "Why would they do that?"

"Because maybe they don't want to be in love," Cilan shrugged.

"Well, I won't allow that!" Iris clenched her fists. "When two people feel that strongly about each other, then there's no way they shouldn't get together! That can't happen, and I won't let it! I'm going to do something about this, Cilan!"

"And just what do you plan on doing?" Cilan blinked.

"I'm…not sure yet," Iris sighed lamely. Returning to her determined tone, Iris pumped her fist and continued strongly, "but I'll come up with something _really _good! And once I do, those two will be thanking me! I just know it!"

* * *

**Have I mentioned that I love Iris? Because...I do. Seriously, she's my favorite female companion right after Misty.**

**And for those of you who might be confused due to not watching BW, there's a reason that Iris was eating while talking to Cilan about Ash/Misty and the Cottonee: in the show, when she's talking or hearing about romance, it makes Iris really hungry for some reason. Specifically for fruits, like apples. Hence why she was stuffing her face during their "love" conversation :P**

**And did you see more Wishfulshipping hints? It's such an awesome pairing, I have to make it a minor storyline ^^**

**Don't worry, now. I've got plans for everybody :P But what will they be? Stay tuned (or...reading) and find out!**


	4. Let's Talk About Dates

**Yeah, hey there guys...you probably all hate me right now. Sorry it took so long for this chapter...but I've had alot of work to do recently (like my road test and my final Italian project and preparing for my dance recital...) and then when I had free time, I kept coming up with one shots that were begging to be written. So, I apologize. But, here's the new chapter, so...you can read it now :P**

**Character Ages:**

**Ash: 16**

**Iris: 16**

**Cilan: 19**

**Delia: 35**

**Misty: 16**

**Daisy: 21**

**Violet: 20**

**Lily: 19**

**Tracey: 19**

**Gary: 16**

* * *

After getting changed into her regular clothes, Iris spent much of the morning meditating underneath the giant oak tree in Ash's backyard. Axew sat next to his trainer and imitated her perfectly, calmly swishing his little tail as he focused all of his energy.

"Let's see…" Iris murmured, "How can we get Ash and Misty to realize their feelings towards each other?"

"Ax…" Axew breathed.

"Iris, dear, are you alright?"

The purple haired girl opened her eyes and found herself staring at Delia, who was now outfitted in a light blue apron, dark green gardening gloves, and a tan colored sun hat with a delicate white fabric flower atop the brim.

"Oh, yes, I'm just fine!" Iris giggled. "I'm meditating is all. I do it when I need to think up things!"

"Meditating? That's an excellent idea!" Delia trilled. "That always helps me to relax and collect my thoughts after doing my yoga exercises."

Iris smiled kindly at the woman and refrained from informing her that _this _kind of meditation happened to be a little more spiritual. But Iris had developed quite a fondness for Mrs. Ketchum, and still had been unable to figure out how such a kind and well put together woman had wound up with such a childish son.

"Well, I don't want to disturb you too much," Delia smiled as she began to waltz away from the violet haired girl, "but, if I might ask, do you know where my Ash has run off to? Because I _know _he didn't go with Misty like I asked him to."

Iris blushed out of surprise. Ash hadn't even faced his mother, nor had she seen Misty leave without the dark haired boy. It must've been her mother's intuition, although still quite puzzling for the aspiring dragon master.

"He went to go visit and train his Pokémon," Iris answered helpfully. "At least, that's what he told Cilan and me after breakfast. He just came running down the stairs, fully dressed, and blurted that out. Then he burst through the door and we haven't seen or heard from him since."

"He must've headed over to Oak's lab," Delia concluded, sighing as she lowered her head so the brim of her pretty hat fell over her amberite eyes. "Such a stubborn young man. I wish I could get through to him."

"I wouldn't be too worried, Mrs. Ketchum," Iris giggled. "Ash will see the light somehow."

"I certainly hope so," Delia nodded, heading back towards her gardening. Iris watched the older woman leave before looking down at Axew, who was staring up at his trainer with curious red eyes.

"Ax?" Axew tilted his head.

"I'm working on it," Iris sighed, once again closing her eyes. "This is going to take some serious time and effort, Axew. We have to be patient."

"Ew," Axew agreed, closing his own eyes to once again focus his energy, much like his sweet and loyal trainer.

**XXX**

Misty sighed tiredly, throwing her light blue backpack onto the floor as she entered the gym and stretched her arms out. The long trek back from Pallet Town had all but drained her, and now Misty's mind was consumed by thoughts of sleeping and relaxing.

"Oh my gosh! Misty is back!"

Unfortunately, Misty knew that the high pitched shriek meant that she wasn't going to be getting any of that any time soon.

Violet and Lily both came racing into the room, their eyes shining bright once they saw that their youngest sister had returned from her visit.

"So…" Violet couldn't help the smirk that was growing on her face, "how did it go with Ash?"

"Yeah, was he like…super adorable still?" Lily crooned.

Misty sighed and rolled her eyes. Her sisters still knew how to work every single one of her nerves. At least they had managed to grow out of those obnoxious valley girl accents that they had picked up early on in their teen years. Only Lily now would occasionally slip up and speak like a stereotypical teenage girl, though she was getting better all the time at maintaining it.

"Yeah, he's still cute," Misty narrowed her eyes, "now let's not talk about it."

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good," Lily observed, crossing her arms as she glanced over at Violet.

"I bet he turned her down," Violet sulked, giving a little shrug as she pouted.

"What? He did not," Misty's eyes snapped open.

"Then what's with the face?" Violet pressed.

"Ash is still as dense as a board," Misty retorted. "He probably doesn't even know the definition of the word love, and at this point, I'm not even sure that he knows what a definition _is. _I think that maybe it's just time to give up."

"Oh no you don't!" Lily planted her hands firmly on her hips. "You love him too much to just give up!"

"Lily, I don't-"

"And don't tell me you don't love him," Lily interrupted darkly. "That's, like, the stupidest lie I've ever heard."

"And you just threw in _that _word," Misty shook her head. "Bad Lily. No more using the word "like" in your sentences anymore, remember?"

"Oh, who asked you?" Lily threw her arms down. "I'm trying to help you!"

"That would be a first," Misty rolled her eyes.

"It's a pain to listen to you two," Violet noted. "Besides, Misty, we _all _know that you're not going to give up on Ash. You've fallen so hard on your head for him that I'm surprised you still know what your name is."

Misty's cheeks flashed red, but otherwise she didn't say anything. She knew Violet was right…she just didn't want to admit it.

"It _will_ work out, Misty," Violet sighed, her tone becoming much softer all of a sudden.

"And what if it doesn't?" Misty muttered.

"It will," Violet shook her head. "It may take some time, but it will work out. Trust me on this one, Mist."

The red head rolled her eyes and resumed to keeping her mouth shut. Arguing with her sisters was just as useless as getting into it with Ash. Neither quarrel would ever get them anywhere; brains against an empty head was like running around in circles.

"Now, come inside," Violet waved her hand to regain Misty's attention. "We need your help."

"With what?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Daisy's wedding, of course!" Lily squealed in excitement.

"That's still in the planning stages?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Of course it is!" Lily laughed airily. "It takes a long time to plan the perfect wedding, baby sister!"

"Maybe you three are just being perfectionists," Misty sighed.

"No, you'll understand when it's time to plan your own wedding," Lily shook her head before smirking. "To Ash, of course."

"Violet!" Misty whined, staring at her second oldest sister with pleading emerald eyes.

"Oh, leave her alone, Lil," Violet exclaimed in an exasperated manner as she turned around to head into the waiting area of the gym. "Don't work the poor girl up before she gets to Daisy."

Lily shrugged but followed after her blue haired sister. Misty didn't particularly want to do this, but really, she didn't have much of a choice. She knew that her defiance would equal Daisy storming in and dragging her into the planning kicking and screaming. So, Misty figured that she might as well give in and go as willingly as possible.

Calmly striding into the waiting area, Misty found Daisy and Tracey sitting at one of the tables that was normally set up for trainers who were awaiting their gym battle. Violet and Lily were retaking their seats across from the young engaged couple, while looking over their shoulders to make sure that Misty had followed them in.

"Hi Daisy, hey Tracey," Misty greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, Misty, you're back!" Daisy beamed. "This is wonderful. We need all the help we can get, right Tracey, dear?"

"Uh, yeah, right," Tracey nodded timidly, his voice sounding rather distant.

"I don't think Tracey wants to do any of this," Misty commented.

Tracey began to nod, but his action was quickly cut off by Daisy's overly enthusiastic voice, "oh no, Tracey is just fine! He loves planning all of this out! He just barely voices his own opinion because he's so nervous."

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ that's it," Misty mumbled sarcastically.

"Misty, quit muttering under your breath and offer some assistance," Daisy narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips.

Rolling her eyes, Misty walked over to the table and took a seat next to Tracey, shooting the former Pokémon watcher and current research assistant a sympathetic look. He, on the other hand, just smiled feebly at her.

"I am happy, you know," Tracey whispered to the young gym leader once he was sure her three older sisters weren't listening. "With Daisy, I mean. I'm just not into all of this planning."

"I believe you," Misty nodded. "They're crazy about this stuff…a little _too _crazy if you ask me. I'll bail you out if you need it."

"Thanks," Tracey chuckled quietly. "So, how was it visiting Ash?"

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that question," Misty groaned.

"Why? Was it bad?"

"No, of course not. Seeing Ash is never a bad thing." After uttering these words, Misty's face turned bright red. She knew that those words would be taken and twisted into something completely different.

"Then what happened?" Tracey continued, causing Misty to sigh inwardly. Thankfully, Tracey didn't tease her as much as most everyone else did. He had his moments in the past, but after spending so much more time alone with her due to dating Daisy, Tracey knew not to bug Misty too much.

"He's just dense, that's all," Misty shook her head.

"Now," Daisy's trilling voice cut through Misty's daze and brought her emerald eyes back onto the blonde woman. "We know that the colors of the wedding will be white and red."

"So pretty!" Lily squealed.

"There's going to be lots of roses," Daisy grinned. "They are my favorite flower, of course." At this, she threw a sly glance at Tracey, which caused Misty to let out a short, clearly amused giggle.

"Come on, Misty," Tracey sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sorry," Misty apologized, using her hand to cover her still smiling mouth. She would never get over Tracey's dark mistake when he and Daisy first started dating, when he brought the pretty blonde a bouquet of daisies, assuming they were her favorite flower. Daisy, of course, had seen this done one too many times, and didn't find the irony to be charming. She felt differently about Tracey than any other guy before him, however, so instead of dumping him right away, Daisy opted to sternly tell him that she did _not _appreciate being given daisies. Violet and Lily had to deal with the same thing; Violet with violets and Lily with lilies. It was times like that were Misty was grateful that she wasn't named after a flower.

"Right, so I'll be in a white dress, no duh, holding a bouquet of red roses," Daisy continued. "And you girls, my lovely bridesmaids, will be wearing red dresses and holding bouquets of white roses."

Misty certainly couldn't complain about that. Red was one of her favorite colors, and no matter what anyone said, her vibrant hair color did _not _clash with red. In Misty's eyes, it only made her look more sophisticated.

"Now, I'll talk more about food and decorations in a little bit," Daisy looked between her sisters, "but before that, there's another important matter we have to discuss."

"Which is?" Violet raised an eyebrow.

"Your dates," Daisy folded her arms.

"That's easy," Violet scoffed. "I'm bringing William!"

William was Violet's boyfriend who worked for the Pokémon League on the business side of things. They had been pretty serious for a little while, and Misty assumed it was only a matter of time before they got engaged themselves.

"And I'm bringing Dorian!" Lily chimed in.

Dorian, of course, was the leader of the unofficial Coastline Gym in Johto. He and Tracey had become good friends over the last few years, what with them dating sisters, and it had been decided awhile ago that Dorian was going to be one of Tracey's groomsmen. Since Daisy was going to have three bridesmaids, Tracey wanted to have three groomsmen, but only Dorian had been decided so far, mainly because Daisy hadn't given him any time to think on the subject.

Misty remained silent, and when everyone realized she wasn't about to say anything, Daisy turned towards her youngest sister and prompted, "What about you, Misty?"

"I don't have to bring a date," Misty murmured.

"Yes you do," Daisy huffed.

"Why?" Misty groaned.

"My wedding, my rules," Daisy smirked.

"This is so dumb," Misty sunk down further in her chair.

"Oh, you're such a baby," Lily rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just bring Ash as your date?"

"Lily, shut up!" Misty snapped, having finally heard enough out of everyone on the subject of her raven haired best friend.

"She might have a point, Misty," Tracey piped up.

"Tracey, you've got to be kidding me," Misty's eyebrow twitched.

"Well, I have a good reason for it," Tracey pouted slightly.

Sighing, Misty rested her head in her hand and asked, "What would that reason be?"

"I think that Ash is going to be one of my groomsmen," Tracey glanced over at his fiancée. "If Daisy is okay with it, that is."

"Of _course _that's okay with me!" Daisy trilled. "I think it would be absolutely adorable if Misty's date was one of your groomsmen! It'll be like their own mini wedding."

"Stop!" Misty snapped, her cheeks bright red.

"Misty, taking Ash as your date is the easiest option, especially if he's going to be one of Tracey's groomsmen," Daisy sternly informed her youngest sister. "Besides, you two are just friends. This doesn't have to become anything more. So stop acting like a child and just go along with it."

Misty furrowed her brow and let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Under _one _condition!"

"What?" Daisy folded her arms.

"Stop teasing me about him," Misty practically whispered, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"You have yourself a deal," Daisy grinned. "Everyone, no more prodding Misty about Ash! Or you're going to face my wrath. Now, let's move onto the menu…"

Misty, however, wasn't paying any attention to the conversation anymore. Ash as her date…to a _wedding._

She thought she might faint.

**XXX**

The next day, back in Pallet Town, Iris and Cilan sat down for breakfast and were surprised to not find Ash already downstairs eating.

"How strange," Cilan mused. "Ash is always the first one to be eating!"

"Maybe he's finally growing up," Iris grumbled behind a long yawn.

"I certainly hope everything is okay," Cilan murmured as he sat down. "This isn't like Ash at all."

"I wouldn't be too concerned," Iris smirked as she took her own seat next to Cilan. "He's Ash, remember? As childish as he is, he's pretty capable of taking care of himself."

"That's true," Cilan agreed.

"Besides," Iris giggled airily, "his mother hasn't screamed or torn the whole house down, so I'm sure everything is just fine."

Cilan suddenly frowned, his expression becoming rather worrisome. "Unless he snuck out without her permission."

**XXX**

Needless to say, that's exactly what Ash had done.

He had woken up at dawn, which was highly unusual for the trainer. He'd gotten dressed and not bothered to wake Pikachu, fearing the ultimate electric shock that would've surely come his way had he interrupted the little mouse's peaceful slumber.

Afterwards, he quietly left his room, tip toed past his mother's room, the guest room where Iris was sleeping, down the stairs, and then past the living room, where Cilan had kindly offered to take residence during their stay in the small Pallet Town home.

Closing the door just as gingerly, Ash took a sigh of relief, clearly happy that he had managed to do all of that without waking anyone up in the house. Particularly his mother, who was a very light sleeper due to all of Ash's antics as a child.

Now in the clear, Ash bolted off towards Oak's laboratory, eager to see all of his Pokémon. He had already visited them the day before, but he'd been gone for so long in such a far off region that he wanted to give his old buddies plenty of attention. As he ran, Ash looked up at the sun, watching as it settled into its proper place and began to spread light across his quaint, peaceful town.

Fortunately for Ash, Professor Oak tended to be an "early to bed, early to rise" kind of guy, so he was already up and about when Ash reached the building that stood out so prominently in the otherwise uniform settlement.

"Hello, my boy!" Professor Oak greeted when he opened the door and allowed Ash in. "You certainly are up bright and early."

"I couldn't really sleep," Ash chuckled. "I completely passed out yesterday because I was so tired from all the travelling and walking. But now, I guess it's really sunk in that I'm home, and I'm too excited to do all of this stuff that I haven't done in so long."

"That's likely it," Professor Oak hummed amusedly. "Would you care for some tea? It's just about to finish up on the stove."

"No, I'm okay," Ash smiled. "I'm just going to go outside and see my Pokémon, if that's okay."

"Of course it is!" Professor Oak nodded as he headed towards the kitchen. "You go right ahead, my boy."

"Thanks Professor!" Ash called as started running again, this time towards the back door so he could free himself to the reservation where all of his and other trainer's captured Pokémon lived. He decided to head right over to the grass preservation, hoping that Bulbasaur and Heracross hadn't gotten into any more squabbles since yesterday. When he reached the grassy field, Ash was surprised to see another figure. Their back was facing him, but with such a mop of brunette hair and familiar black polo shirt, Ash immediately knew who it was.

"Gary?" Ash gasped, stopping dead in his tracks.

The Pokémon researcher spun around, grinning mischievously at his childhood rival. "Well, well, if it isn't Ashy-boy!"

"Would you quit calling me that?" Ash whined as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"No, it's a fitting nickname for you," Gary smirked. "How have ya been? I heard you were back in town."

"Yeah, since two days ago," Ash's expression softened.

"Did you have fun in Unova?" Gary inquired.

"Sure did, it was cool to be in a really different place with a whole bunch of Pokémon I've never seen before! Though, it would've been a lot better if I had gotten further in the Champion League."

"I'm sure you'll get there soon enough," Gary nodded. "Where are you going on your next journey?"

"To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it yet," Ash admitted. "I was considering just staying home for awhile. You know, taking a rest."

"Ash Ketchum, taking a break?" Gary scoffed. "That's unheard of."

"There's a first time for everything," Ash shrugged.

"Like a relationship?" Gary snidely remarked.

"What?" Ash blinked, completely missing the point of Gary's comment.

"I heard you had a certain, red headed gym leader over your house the other day," Gary snickered.

"You hear a lot of things about me," Ash eyed the boy suspiciously.

"So, did you two get it on?" Gary ignored Ash's last remark. "Did little Ashy finally get his first kiss from a girl other than his Mommy?"

"Shut up!" Ash snarled, his face turning a deep shade of red. "I don't…like her that way," Ash grumbled, his heart pounding a little as he uttered those words.

"Do you like _any _girls?" Gary teased. "I'm beginning to wonder…"

"Yeah, because _you're _so cool, Gary," Ash rolled his eyes. "Have _you _kissed a girl yet?"

"Of course I have," Gary rolled his eyes.

"Wait…what?" Ash took a step back, surprised by this little revelation.

"The first time I kissed a girl, I had just turned 13," Gary shrugged like it was no big deal. "Now I don't even have enough fingers to count how many girls I've made out with."

"You're gross," Ash bit.

"See? This is why I wonder."

"Not because they're girls!" Ash screeched. "Because you've kissed so _many _of them! Don't you just want to be with one girl?"

"I don't really care," Gary shrugged once again. "None of them seemed like the right fit. They were all into me, of course. I'm pretty irresistible."

"Yeah, and pretty annoying too," Ash muttered.

"What was that, Ashy-boy?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Ash smirked mischievously.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was nothing," Gary rolled his eyes. Quickly changing the subject, he continued, "So, have you heard the news about Tracey?"

"No…what news?"

"He's engaged."

Ash's eyes widened. "To Daisy?"

"The very same."

"Wow, so Tracey's really grown up, huh?" Ash blinked. "When's the wedding?"

"In a few weeks, I think," Gary scratched his chin in thought. "Gramps and I are invited. I don't know about _you, _of course…"

"I'm friends with Tracey, so I probably will," Ash raised a curious eyebrow. "But, if it's a small wedding and I don't get to go, then I'll be okay with it."

"Even though your girlfriend is going to be there?" Gary smiled slyly once more.

"She's _NOT _my girlfriend!"

"Who isn't your girlfriend, Ash?"

The young trainer turned around and found the aforementioned Tracey to be staring at him, blinking a few times in bewilderment.

"No one, it's nothing," Ash refuted. "Gary is just being an idiot."

"Hey!" Gary whined indignantly from behind.

"You two and your rivalry," Tracey chuckled. "Anyway, it's great to see you, Ash! I heard you were back from Unova, and that you came over to the lab yesterday. I'm sorry that I missed you, I had something to do."

"It's no problem," Ash grinned. "So, Gary just told me that you're getting married! Is it true?"

"Yeah, sure is!" Tracey blushed slightly. "In fact, I was planning to go by your house later to give you this, but since you're here now…"

He pulled off his backpack and opened it up, reaching in to pull out a pure white envelope that read "Ash" on the front in large red script.

"What's this?" Ash asked, taking the envelope from Tracey as he held it out.

"Open it and find out," Tracey chuckled.

Ripping open the back of the envelope, Ash pulled out a white card with lots of writing on it, typed up in a similar fancy script to what was on the front of the envelope. Ash read it over, grinning when he reached the end.

"Wow, Trace, you really want me to come to the wedding?" Ash beamed.

"Of course!" Tracey nodded. "You're one of my best friends! In fact, I'd like you to play a pretty important role in the wedding."

"Like what?" Ash was still grinning.

"I want you to be one of my best men!" Tracey replied joyfully. "You know, stand behind me during the actual ceremony and help out with some other stuff too. What do you say?"

"That sounds awesome! I'd love to!"

"That's great!" Tracey's expression changed slightly, and Ash wasn't entirely sure why. "But…there is _kind of _a catch. And it wasn't my idea! It was Daisy's…"

"What is it?" Ash leaned in.

Holding his breath to some extent, Tracey answered slowly, "Misty has to be your date."

And that's when Ash lost all of the color in his handsome young face.

* * *

**I feel like these chapters aren't long I mean, they are pretty long, since this one is like 4K words. I just can't get into this one as much as my others. I still like it, though, I'm not going to stop. So...no worries.**

**I'm gonna try to start on the next chapter, but I have my APs coming up (the end of school! I can see the liiight :P) so...we'll have to see. No promises! But I will try :)**

**Until then, read and review!**


	5. Iris Has a Plan

**Ugh, this chapter was SUCH a pain. I could hardly come up with anything for it. So, as a result, it's much shorter than my usual chapters (still, it's nearly 3K words, but for me that's short!) But I've really gone much too long without updating this story...so I figured I had to get this chapter out now :)**

**Hopefully you'll all enjoy this!**

* * *

"Her…her _date?_"

"Yeah…"

"Why would Daisy force me to do that?" Ash asked skeptically.

"Because, in her words, it's her wedding, her rules," Tracey chuckled quietly. "And I'm not gonna be the one to tell her no. She wants everyone in the bridal party to have a date."

"And Misty is…a bridesmaid?" Ash furrowed his brow. He hoped he had gotten that terminology right; he wasn't exactly experienced when it came to things like weddings. Ash had never been to one, nor talked much about them. Except for when Brock had his crazy fantasies about marrying a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny.

"Yes, which is why she needs a date too," Tracey nodded. "Daisy thought it would be cute for her and groomsman to be one another's date. Besides, you two are already friends, so it shouldn't be too awkward…"

"It's a date, how _couldn't_ it be awkward?" Ash blushed in a flustered manner.

"We all know you two have a thing for each other," Gary commented from the background. "So why don't you just suck it up and do what everyone has been waiting for?"

"Gary, shut _up!_" Ash bit. "I already told you, I _don't _like Misty that way! She's just a friend!"

"Who's a girl," Gary added slyly.

"That doesn't mean anything," Ash scowled.

"It would mean a lot to me if you at least thought about it, Ash," Tracey smiled at his friend. "Can you do that for me?"

Taking a deep breath, Ash nodded hesitantly and replied, "Yeah. Sure thing."

"Thanks," Tracey sighed gratefully. "Now, are you gonna show me to all of your Unova Pokémon?"

**XXX**

Later that afternoon, when Ash returned home, he decided that perhaps he should talk to his Mom about the wedding situation. She was a girl, after all, and girls tended to be much better with those kinds of things than guys. Although, Cilan seemed like the kind of guy who might be into weddings. He was a waiter, after all. And didn't weddings have food? At least Ash could look forward to that. He loved food.

_Stop it, Ash! Focus!_

Before Ash even had a chance to ask his mother for advice, however, he had to deal with her lecturing him about sneaking out before the break of dawn.

"You had me worried _sick, _young man! I thought somebody might've climbed in through your bedroom window and stolen you!"

"Mom," Ash covered his face, trying to hide the intense blush that was taking over his face. He could hear Iris and Cilan trying not to snicker from behind the wall. "All I did was go to the lab to visit my Pokémon!"

"But I didn't know that!" Delia stressed. "You should've at least told me, dear!"

"It was early, I didn't wanna wake you up," Ash frowned.

"I would rather be woken up and be aware of where you are," Delia continued, her tone becoming stern once again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes Mom," Ash sighed.

"Good," Delia lowered her previously frantic hands and smiled lovingly at her only child. "Now, what is it that you were so eager to tell me about, sweetheart?"

"Well, I wouldn't really say that I was eager," Ash looked down at his feet in an almost ashamed manner. "I'm just confused is all. And I thought you could help."

"Of course dear, I can help you with anything!" Delia chirped.

Reaching into the backpack he had brought with him to the lab, Ash pulled out the white envelope with his name on it in red script, handing it over to his mother who looked genuinely bewildered by the object.

"What is this?" Delia tilted her head.

"Open it," Ash replied simply.

Delia did just that and pulled out the invitation, reading it over silently. Once the words settled in her brain, a huge grin broke out on Delia's face as she lowered the card and beamed at her flustered son. "Oh, Ash! A wedding! How wonderful is that?"

"There's more," Ash informed his mother.

"What?"

"Tracey asked me to be one of his groomsmen," Ash answered. "Whatever that means. He said it was important."

"Oh, it is!" Delia was practically jumping up and down. "Ash, you're going to be a _very _important part of the wedding! This is so sweet!"

"But…there's _more,_" Ash didn't sound so excited over the next addition.

"More? Ash, you're going to make me fall over from all of this excitement!"

"Uh, sorry?" Ash furrowed his brow. "Anyway, I don't know how I feel about this…"

"About what, dear?" Delia prompted when Ash trailed off.

Blushing heavily, he mumbled, "I…kind of have to have a date…"

"A date?" Delia was grinning from ear to ear. Ash groaned inwardly. He should've _known _his mother's reaction would be over the top and joyful. "How precious! Who are you thinking about taking? You must have _some _idea, Ashy! If not, I know a few girls who could go with you!"

"Actually, Daisy wants me to have a specific date, apparently," Ash's blush intensified.

"Oh?" Delia sounded intrigued. "Who?"

Biting his lip, Ash sighed and answered meekly, "Misty…"

Delia looked taken off guard for a moment before returning to her overly pleased expression. "Yes! I agree whole heartedly! You and Misty will make such a lovely couple at the wedding!"

"But what if I don't _want _Misty as my date?" Ash groaned.

"Ash, Daisy told you that she wants you to take Misty, and it's _her _wedding," Delia became stern once again, folding her arms over her chest. "Besides, it'll be sweet! You two are friends, after all."

"Yeah, _friends_, and nothing else," Ash made sure his tone sounded completely serious.

"That doesn't mean that the two of you can't go as a couple," Delia sighed. "You two are guests, and members of the wedding party. Just because you're going as a couple doesn't mean your own wedding is in the works."

Secretly, Delia hoped that it would, in fact, lead to just that.

"But I don't want Misty to hate me," Ash moaned.

"Oh, Ash, that's nonsense," Delia shook her head. "She won't hate you! Chances are, Daisy told Misty to bring you as a date. It won't take her off guard." Standing up to clean the dishes in the sink, Delia finished, "but you _do _need to call and formally invite her."

"_What?_" Ash's jaw dropped.

"You have to be a gentleman about this," Delia trilled."Romantic intentions or not, I will not allow my son to be rude on his very first date."

"It's _not_ a…ugh, never mind," Ash sulked.

From behind the wall, Iris and Cilan had stopped laughing and were now listening intently to the conversation between Ash and his mother.

"Iris, this feels wrong," Cilan grimaced.

"No, this is _perfect!_" Iris beamed. "I finally have an idea on how to get Ash and Misty together!"

"Iris…" Cilan sighed.

"Don't Iris me!" Iris whined. "This idea is practically fool proof! You haven't even heard it yet!"

"Alright," Cilan sunk down further so his face was right next to Iris'. "Tell me."

The green haired connoisseur couldn't see it, but Iris' cheeks were flashing pink at the proximity of their faces. Ignoring the burn of the blush, Iris cleared her throat and started, "Ash's Mom wants him to follow Tracey's request and be Misty's date at the wedding, right?"

"Yes…" Cilan raised an eyebrow.

"And she wants Ash to call Misty and ask her out like a true gentleman," Iris smirked.

"You and I both know that Ash isn't going to do that," Cilan shook his head.

"He will if I threaten to beat him to a pulp," Iris narrowed her eyes. Quickly changing to a much happier disposition, Iris continued, "anyway, I have a plan for those two! And it starts with Misty."

"Misty?" Cilan questioned. "But how-"

"We need to get her phone number," Iris interrupted.

"How are we supposed to do that? And…_why?_"

"Don't question my operation!" Iris hissed. "I just have to call Misty. But I don't have her number…where could we get it from?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Cilan shrugged.

Iris folded her arms and settled herself in deep thought for a moment. Suddenly, her whole face lit up as she raised her head and quietly cheered, "Cilan! I've got it! I know where to get Misty's number from!"

"Where?" Cilan tilted his own head.

"Ash's poke gear!" Iris giggled behind her hand. "Surely he has to have her number in there! They're secretly in love, after all."

"Are you going to ask Ash for her number?" Cilan smiled.

"Of course not!" Iris gasped. "Do I look stupid to you? If I ask for Misty's number, then Ash will know that we're up to something!"

"_We?_" Cilan looked shocked. "Don't include me in this little plan of yours!"

"Why not?" Iris frowned. "Don't you want to see true love happen?"

"Well…of course I do…"Cilan nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't like being so sneaky."

"They'll thank us in the end!" Iris clasped her hands together. "Oh, Cilan, please?"

Groaning, Cilan turned his face away so Iris wouldn't see _him _now blushing. He could never say no to the pretty, young dragon type trainer. He wished it was easy to refuse her, and not be so easily swayed by her sweet brown eyes, but it was basically impossible not to. "Oh, alright."

"Yay!" Iris hugged Cilan around the shoulders. "You're the best, Cilan!"

Cilan once again turned his face away, silently pleading for the blush on his face to subside. Just as it was fading, Iris grabbed his hand and pulled him up and towards the stairs. Cilan grimaced when he realized that his formerly disappearing tint was now returning in full force.

"Where do you think Ash's poke gear is?" Cilan mumbled, glad that he was behind Iris and she couldn't see his bright red hue.

"In his room, I think," Iris mused. "I heard it buzzing before I came downstairs to listen to him get scolded."

"So now you're going to sneak into his room?" Cilan gasped.

"Cilan, stop acting like I'm some kind of criminal!" Iris whined.

"But Iris…this is so…wrong!" Cilan fretted.

"You have to live a little," Iris snickered. "And I know just how!"

Reaching the door to Ash's bedroom, Iris gently pushed it open and shoved Cilan into the room without warning.

"Wah! Iris!" Cilan flailed his arms like a bird, turning around with a look of panic on his face. "Wh…what are you doing?"

"Teaching you how to live," Iris answered innocently. Grinning, she pointed into the room and ordered in a determined voice, "now, find that poke gear!"

"Ah, just my luck," Cilan groaned. He turned back around and feverishly scanned the room, hoping to find the device sooner rather than later. By the green haired young man's luck, a vibrating sound alerted him to the potential location of the gadget. Following the dull, but apparent, noise, Cilan was eventually led to Ash's backpack, which was sitting on the chair in front of his desk.

"A desk?" Iris' voice alarmed Cilan, causing him to turn around and see her poking her head in through the door crack. "Does Ash actually _use _that thing?"

"Iris, don't startle me like that!" Cilan narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry," Iris grumbled before waving her hand at the connoisseur. "Now, hurry! Grab the poke gear!"

Groaning, Cilan opened Ash's backpack and reached in, grabbing hold of the poke gear. Quickly, he closed the backpack and hurried towards Iris, his eyes flashing with guilt.

"Awesome!" Iris snatched the dark blue module from Cilan.

"I feel so dirty…" Cilan moped.

"Oh, relax," Iris patted him on the shoulder. "You did a good thing! I promise!"

"What are you going to do with Misty's number anyway?" Cilan was still frowning.

"Call her, duh!" Iris rolled her eyes as though it were obvious.

"Are you going to use Ash's poke gear to call her?" Cilan pointed at the dark blue device.

"No, of course not," Iris huffed, causing Cilan to look shocked. "I just needed his poke gear to get her number. I'm going to write it down and use the house phone to call her."

"B…but…I snuck in there to take it!" Cilan pointed at Ash's room.

"And you did an excellent job," Iris patted the connoisseur on his shoulder. "You're starting to become more of a rebel! Although, I still have a lot of work to do with you."

The green haired young man just continued to mope, causing Iris to giggle. Axew popped out of her hair and held out a small square of yellow paper towards the girl, as well as a small black pen. Nodding, Iris took the objects from Axew and grinned happily at her Pokémon. "Thanks, Axew! You're the best!"

Cilan decided to not even question it. He took Ash's poke gear back from Iris and found Misty in his contacts, reading off her home number to Iris, who eagerly scribbled it down on the small piece of paper in her hands.

"Got it!" Iris cheered. "I'm going to call her right away. Cilan, you put Ash's poke gear back where you found it." She skipped downstairs, leaving Cilan alone in front of Ash's room standing in a state of shock.

Once at the bottom of the steps, Iris poked her head into the kitchen. She was relieved to find that both Ash and his mother were gone. To where, she didn't know, but this was perfect timing. Ash would kill her if he knew what she was up to. Mrs. Ketchum would probably aid her in the act, but Iris found it easier to just do on her own.

Slinking over to the video phone, Iris sat down and punched Misty's number into the keypad and patiently waiting as it rang. After what felt like an eternity to the aspiring dragon master, Misty's image appeared on the screen, looking rather confused when she saw Iris on the other end.

"Iris?" Misty asked.

"Hey, Misty!" Iris greeted warmly.

"H…how did you get my number?" Misty blinked.

"Ash's poke gear," Iris answered honestly and unabashed.

"Ah, that makes sense," Misty smiled sweetly. "So, what is it that you need, Iris?"

"I heard about your sister's wedding," Iris jumped right to the subject at hand. "And how your sister wants Ash to be your date."

At this, Misty blushed furiously. "Y…yeah?"

"I can help!" Iris beamed.

"Who said I _wanted _him to be my date?" Misty muttered.

"Misty, I can tell that you like him," Iris smirked in a sympathetic fashion. "It's not such a big secret, even though you think it is. Well, not to me anyway. I can see it in your eyes, and how you act when you're around him. It's a _real _big crush you've got."

"Fine," Misty grumbled, looking just as red as she had seconds ago. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, for starters, his mother is making Ash call you to properly ask you to be his date," Iris explained.

Misty's eyes widened upon hearing this piece of news. "R…really?" She was sure that Ash would scoff and try to ignore the whole idea. Of course, his mother was pushing him along, but it was a start. Misty knew that the young, raven haired trainer had no idea what to do when it came to feelings and romance.

"Mmhm," Iris nodded. "But I think it would be an awful lot sweeter if he asked you in person. Don't you agree?"

"I…suppose so," Misty nodded like a robot.

"Here's what you have to do," Iris instructed. "Call Ash and tell him that you need him in Cerulean City."

"For what, though? What lie should I make up to convince him to do that?"

"It'll be a lot easier than you think it is," Iris assured the gym leader. "I think that Ash would do anything for you."

"I doubt it," Misty grimaced.

"I don't," Iris shook her head. "Why don't you call him in a little while and give it a shot?"

"I guess I could," Misty nodded once again.

"Good, that'll be stage one of my plan," Iris murmured.

"What?" Misty tilted her head.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Iris waved a haphazard hand. "Just call him later, okay? Then I'll call you back and find out exactly what's going to happen."

"If you insist," Misty sighed.

"Don't be so down, Misty," Iris smiled encouragingly at the red head. "Everything is going to work out. I promise!"

"Like I said," Misty finally showed the dragon trainer a little smile, "if you insist."

The two girls both hung up, Iris feeling rather accomplished with herself. Standing up, she pushed the chair in before raising a finger to her chin and thinking for a short moment.

"Hmm…I'm hungry!"

* * *

**Okay, Iris getting hungry when discussing romance is one of my favorite character elements EVER. It's so quirky and adorable! Sorry, I like Iris. Sue me :P**

**Right, so like I said, not a very long chapter. But pretty substantial :) We're starting to see Iris' plan forming! So, what will happen when Misty calls Ash for a visit? Stay tuned to find out ;)**


	6. I Have to Ask You Something!

**Don't throw things at meeee! :(**

**I know I haven't updated this story in pretty much forever. I'm by no means abandoning it, though! It's just kind of one of my background stories, so I don't work on it as much as my main series. I do intend on finishing it eventually, however!**

**So, enough out of me, enjoying the newest chapter!**

* * *

"What do you mean I have to come to Cerulean City?"

"_Does it really matter why? I need to see you!"_

"No, I guess not…" Ash trembled slightly at her clearly frustrated voice.

"_And why are you whispering like that? I can barely hear you!"_

"It's past 11, Misty!" Ash whined. "What would possess you to call so late, anyway?"

"_I had a lot of challengers at the gym today," _Misty sighed, sounding rather exhausted from said battles. _"I didn't get off until an hour or two ago. I had to eat dinner, you know. I just got to settle down now."_

"Fair enough," Ash nodded just once, although he knew Misty couldn't see him. They were talking on their poke gears, not on the video phone. "Do you like running the gym?"

"_Yes, Ash."_

The raven haired young man frowned. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"_Of course not, you fool. I really do love being a gym leader. I wouldn't trade my job for the world. Sometimes, it's just really exhausting. That's all."_

"So you're tired?"

"_Yes."_

"Maybe you should go to sleep, then," Ash suggested. "I won't keep you up any longer."

"_That'd be nice."_

"You still want me to come see you tomorrow?"

"_Duh."_

Ash smirked. Misty never failed to be sassy, even when she was exhausted. Chuckling softly to himself, Ash threw in, "alright, I'll come to Cerulean tomorrow. Meet you at the gym around 2?"

"_That sounds good…"_ Misty yawned, _"To me."_

"Go to sleep," Ash murmured, surprised himself by how gentle his voice had come out.

"_Okay,"_ Misty replied just as softly. _"Good night, Ash."_

"Night, Mist. See ya' tomorrow."

**XXX**

Ash was once again early to rise the next morning. He could barely sleep, again, this time excited by the thought of going to Cerulean City to see Misty. Just in a friendly manner, of course.

He got dressed quickly and fumbled down the stairs, pleased to see only his mother in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone.

"Morning, Mom!" Ash greeted warmly.

"Well, someone is cheerful this morning," Delia grinned at her only son. "What's gotten you so happy, dear?"

"I'm going to Cerulean to see Misty," Ash replied, sitting down at the table. "She called me last night and said she wanted me to come over. I'm not sure why, though."

"Oh, this is perfect!" Delia clasped her hands together, beaming at a confused Ash. "You can ask Misty to the wedding in person!"

"Uh…I…what?" Ash was grimacing.

"It's much more polite to ask a girl in person than doing it over the phone," Delia elucidated. "You'll come across as such a gentleman if you ask Misty to the wedding today! I guarantee it."

Ash rolled his eyes once his mother's back was turned to him. He loved and respected her, but he was getting a little tired of being told how to act like a "gentleman." Ash thought he was a perfectly kind person who didn't need to try any harder. Besides, he and Misty knew each other too well. She wouldn't fall for any of that nonsense.

At that moment, Iris and Cilan came down the stairs, fairly surprised to see Ash awake and dressed before them. Ash just chuckled and greeted the two with a wave, grinning deliriously as they sat down.

"Are you up to something?" Iris asked shiftily.

"No, not at all," Ash laughed off such an idea.

"Then what's with the big smile?" Iris pointed at Ash's face.

"I'm going to hang out with Misty today," Ash responded, Iris' heart fluttering at that simple sentence. Her plan was already going into effect! "Do you guys want to' come with me and check out Cerulean?"

"Sure," Cilan began, "we'd love-"

"No, it's fine!" Iris slapped a hand over Cilan's mouth, causing the connoisseur to whine beneath her palm. "You should go by yourself. You haven't hung out with Misty in so long!"

"It's fine, we can all hang out together," Ash gave a bewildered stare to Iris. "You guys and Misty really seemed to hit it off the other day. I'm sure she'd love it if you came!"

"No she wouldn't!" Iris replied much too quickly before removing her hand from Cilan's face and sinking down her chair. Grumbling, she folded her arms across her chest and muttered, "You're such a little kid."

At this, Ash growled, but didn't retaliate. With his mother standing right here, Ash knew he'd just get another lecture about "being a gentleman" and how he would be doing it all wrong if he snapped at Iris…who was a girl.

_I'll just get her back later. When Mom's not around._

"Are you sure?" Ash settled for the kinder response, throwing Iris a smirk that informed her she'd be paying for her comment later.

"Positive," Iris smiled right back, to show Ash she wasn't afraid of him. Cilan, meanwhile, was simply glancing between his two younger friends, wondering when and if they would ever grow up themselves.

_Oh well, I suppose you can't rush a soufflé to rise, _Cilan thought calmly to himself.

**XXX**

As soon as Ash had scarfed down his breakfast, he left the house and began his walk to Cerulean City. It wasn't a long one, especially when you knew all of the good shortcuts like Ash did. Being an adventurous kid, and one who had gotten lost enough times to know which directions _weren't _the right ones, had really helped Ash out in retrospect.

"And to think, Misty always made fun of me for getting us lost!" Ash turned his eyes onto Pikachu, who was sitting on the boy's shoulder. "Maybe I had utter motives, huh?"

"Pika, pikapi," Pikachu sighed. He knew that the correct phrase Ash had been looking for was _ulterior motives. _Sometimes, the electric mouse feared his trainer would never learn.

Eventually, the two friends made it to Cerulean City, without Ash making any other vocabulary errors. Taking his poke gear out of his pocket and gazing at the screen, Ash was happy to see that it was 1:55, giving him just enough time to reach the gym by two. On his way there, however, Ash passed by a quaint little flower shop, with bright blooms hanging from up above and displayed beautifully in the windows.

"Flowers are really big at weddings, right, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pikapika," Pikachu shrugged. He was just a Pokémon; he had never been to a wedding before.

"What if I got Misty flowers?" Ash mused. "Do you think she'd like that?"

"Ka! Pika pikachu, pi!" Pikachu suddenly became _very _enthusiastic. He wanted his trainer and _Pikachupi _to get together just as badly as everyone else. Of course, being a Pokémon, it was more difficult for him to express these feelings than it was for the humans. Pikachu tried his best to nudge Ash in the right direction, but the boy really was quite dense, and Pikachu wasn't a miracle worker.

"That sure sounds like a yes to me," Ash chuckled. "My Mom would probably approve of this, anyway!"

Walking inside the shop, Ash soon found himself surrounded by a sea of flowers. There were all different kinds and colors; Ash had no idea which ones to get! He knew Misty's favorite color was green, but that green flowers weren't exactly something that was easy to find. Fortunately for him, he managed to stumble across a bouquet of daisies, the petals of which were dyed mint green. Ash knew that Misty had once told him her sisters hated the cliché of being gifted the same flowers that their names derived from. He assumed, however, that Misty herself wouldn't mind receiving some daisies as a gift. With those picked out, Ash headed over to the woman in charge of the store in order to buy the bouquet for Misty.

"Oh, aren't these just beautiful?" The woman asked, much to Ash's bewilderment. "These dyed green flowers are very special, you know. We make them just for our gym leader!"

_Misty. _Misty was the gym leader. They made those flowers specifically for her. Because her favorite color was green. Right away, Ash's face paled, and the shop owner took notice.

"Are you alright?" She asked concernedly.

"Just fine!" Ash nodded, a little too vigorously. His pale cheeks were now glowing a bright red, and it became apparent to the woman that her young costumer was embarrassed.

"Are these for someone special?" She pressed in a sweet voice.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Ash murmured.

"Does she love the color green?"

"She sure does," Ash bit his lip, still staring down at the green daisies. Was this really such a good idea? She was probably going to get mad at him now. Those flowers would probably be viewed as a gimmick gift.

"Well, I'm sure she'll love them," the woman beamed. "I made these in honor of the gym leader right after she was given her title! She loves them, you know. And they've been very popular ever since!"

This brought Ash a small sense of relief. At least Misty liked the green flowers. Even if it ended up being a cheesy and stupid idea, at least she wouldn't yell at him for it. Hopefully.

After purchasing the flowers, Ash restarted his trek to the gym. Taking out his poke gear, Ash now realized it was nearly ten minutes past two, and his eyes almost fell out of his head.

"Forget being mad at me for the flowers, I think Misty is gonna' get angry that I'm ten minutes late!" Ash cried. And with that, he took off into a sprint, with Pikachu holding onto his shirt for dear life.

**XXX**

Misty was standing by the front door of the gym, her arms crossed and her foot anxiously tapping against the ground.

By last check on her poke gear, it was now 2:11, and Ash was nowhere to be seen. It had been _his _idea to meet up at two, after all. Leave it up to Ash to ruin his own plans!

Well, yeah she had told him he had to come to Cerulean in the first place. But that was just minor details. Misty may have _initiated_, but _Ash_ was the one who had worked out the most important aspects of the meeting…like the meeting time.

"He probably got distracted by a Pokémon or something," Misty muttered. She had no idea why she was still head over heels in love with a boy who acted more like a child than his own age. All she knew was she couldn't fight it, and that there was nothing to be done about that.

"MISTY!"

The gym leader's head finally snapped up, and what she found was Ash running towards her like a mad man. Pikachu looked startled, and for some reason, the boy had his hands behind his back. He looked awfully strange running like that.

"Where in the world have you been?" Misty snapped, settling for the angry approach. "I've been waiting for you for eleven minutes!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Ash frowned, finally reaching his red headed best friend. "I got distracted."

"I knew that was it," Misty rolled her eyes.

"Not by a Pokémon!" Ash cried, much to Misty's surprise. It was as if he had read her mind.

"Then by what?" Misty asked.

Blushing once again, Ash sheepishly moved his hands back on front of himself to show Misty the bouquet of green daisies. The girl's eyes widened and then rose to look at Ash's face. It was void of any color, and he looked very nervous. At this, Misty giggled and gingerly took the flowers out of his very tight grasp.

"Oh, Ash, that was so sweet of you," Misty breathed, raising the daisies to her face.

"They're yours, aren't they?" Ash showed off a shaky smile.

"Huh?" Misty blinked.

"Those are your flowers, I mean," Ash shook out his head. "They made those just for you, right?"

"Yeah," Misty giggled, a delicate blush overtaking her own features. "How did you know that?"

"The lady at the flower shop told me so," Ash explained. "She was telling me that after you got named gym leader, she started dyeing daisies green because that's your favorite color."

"That's true."

"Are they really popular, like she told me they are?"

"Yeah," Misty's blush intensified. "It's really…really humbling. To have flowers for yourself, I mean. Flowers that everyone loves, no less. I never would have expected anything like this when I was a little girl."

Ash's blush was now just as intense as Misty's, if not more. He knew he was going to have to ask her to the wedding sooner rather than later. If he waited any longer, Ash just knew he'd get way too nervous and back out. And if he did _that, _his mother would surely have his head.

"Hey, Mist, wanna' go for a walk?" Ash asked. "Around the city?"

"Sure…" Misty raised an eyebrow, lowering the flowers. "Any particular reason?"

"I just thought it'd be nice," Ash shrugged. "I haven't been here for a little while…kind of forgot what it looks like."

"Okay," Misty's smile widened. "Yeah! We can go for a walk. Definitely."

"Can…can Pikachu stay here?" Ash managed to sputter. Misty looked shocked, so Ash reasoned, "he's tired. I think he'd rather just hang around with Marill. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Marill would love to spend some time with Pikachu," Misty giggled before glancing up at the yellow mouse. "She's inside, Pikachu! You two can play around the gym while Ash and I are gone."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and leapt off of Ash's shoulder, scurrying through the sliding glass doors of the gym.

"Violet and Lily are in there, so those two will be just fine," Misty assured her longtime friend as they started off their walk. "Daisy and Tracey are out at the moment. Last minute wedding stuff."

"Oh, I gotcha."

Misty bit her lower lip and squeezed the gathered stems of the bouquet even tighter. She was getting nervous…Misty knew she was going to have to ask Ash to be her date for the wedding before it was too late. And by too late, she meant when Daisy the bridezilla would surely bite her head off for not following the demands she had made. Hence the stupid little slogan Daisy seemed to have created for her special day: "_my_ wedding, _my_ rules."

_I better not be like that when I get married, _Misty thought scathingly to herself.

She and Ash walked in complete silence for a few minutes. There was obvious tension between the two, but neither of them knew it was for the same reason. In reality, they were both facing the same battle in their minds. And they both felt just as awkward as the other did.

Finally, Ash and Misty found themselves by the cape. Misty knew exactly where they were because of the sea cottages. They were tiny and cute, and Misty just loved the colorful little houses. She wanted one all her own to live in. Misty thought that living on Cerulean Cape would be so peaceful and romantic. It was her favorite place in the entire world.

So…maybe it was the perfect place to ask Ash to the wedding.

Ash, meanwhile, was having the same exact thoughts. He seemed to remember Misty talking about the cape before, and how much she loved it. She had a lot of good memories in relation to Cerulean Cape. Ash figured that if he asked Misty to be his date here, maybe it would make things easier…maybe it would make it more enticing for her. Ash didn't want her to say no.

But he didn't like Misty that way…did he? Ash couldn't even tell any more.

He took in a deep breath, and at the same time, so did Misty. The two both turned to face one another, and unintentionally, with perfect precision, the two blurted, "I have to ask you something!"

Their faces both flashed red. Ash took a small step back, while Misty just continued to stare at Ash, her emerald eyes boring into his own chocolate orbs. There was that silence again, just as uncomfortable as before. That was, until Misty found the courage to speak once again.

"You ask first."

Ash's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Why me?!"

"Because I said so!"

"Ever heard of ladies first?" Ash huffed.

"Ever heard of being a gentleman?!" Misty bit back.

Now the two were _glaring _at one another. It was a standoff; who was going to ask their apparently burning question first. Misty refused to back down, however, and Ash's own resolve was just as fierce. Had Pikachu been there, he would have shocked them both by now.

"You…go…first," Misty warned.

Ash leaned in closer to Misty and slowly taunted, "Make…me."

Misty scowled and allowed her delicate hands to clench into fists. By now, Ash's lips had bent into a devious smirk, and that's when Misty had decided she'd had enough. Without so much as a feral cry or a deep throated growl, Misty jumped forward and tackled Ash right to the ground. The young trainer gasped, shocked that the dainty Misty had enough strength to bowl him over like that. But she did, apparently, and now she was taking him up on his previous tease.

She was going to make him ask first.

"Do it!" Misty finally yelled, grabbing Ash's collar.

"You think this is really gonna' work on me?" Ash asked, his voice only slightly choked with the material of his shirt pressing against his throat.

"You told me to make you," Misty seethed, pulling Ash's collar back so his head was pressing against the soft grass. "And that's what I'm doing."

"What happens when I don't tell you?" Ash stared up at the sky, rather than at Misty's frustrated face.

"My fists will be a little bit closer to your face, that's for sure," Misty muttered. Ash's face changed to reflect an expression of fear. Misty, meanwhile, started to giggle before letting go of Ash's collar and giving him some extra room to breathe. "I'm just kidding. I think."

Grimacing, Ash sat up and rubbed at his throat. Misty just smirked at him, watching as the boy cleared his throat before shooting her a serious, contemplative look.

"Why don't we ask at the same time?" Ash suggested.

"That's crazy," Misty rolled her eyes.

"Why? We did it before."

"That's true…" Misty murmured. "Fine, I suppose we could."

"Okay," Ash breathed, "we ask each other on the count of three. One…two…three!"

And then, the two of them asked their question at the same exact time, blurting it out in a similar fashion as before: "will you be my date for the wedding?"

If they thought their blushes had been bad _before, _then the two really had no idea how bad this would be. Their faces were completely red, from the top of their hairlines to the bottom of their chins. It was such an intense blush, in fact, that each one could feel the warmth of their face burning.

"T-to Daisy and Tracey's wedding?" Ash muttered, unsure of what else to say.

"How many other weddings do you know about?! Misty cried. She couldn't help it…this whole thing was so embarrassing!

Shaking his head out, as if to clear his thoughts, Ash smiled sweetly at Misty and shyly replied, "I think…we could go together. You're a bridesmaid, after all, and I'm one of Tracey's groomsmen. It would make sense…right?"

"Yeah, it would," Misty agreed quietly.

"So…we're gonna' be dates?" Ash asked quietly.

"Yes," Misty nodded slowly, her own mouth soon forming a small and shy smile. "We're going to be dates."

* * *

**So, they finally asked one another out for the wedding! What will happen when their perspective parties find out? That'll happen next chapter! Stay tuned!**

**And thanks to all my fans who still read and reviewed this story even while it was on the back burner. You guys rule!**


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